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Climbing

Beal: "I have constrained myself to avoid death" (William Burroughs 1985). High Quality climbing ropes from Vienne, France.
Black Diamond: Black Diamond Ltd. is an employee-owned company made up of climbers and skiers. BD officially came into being on December 1, 1989, created through a management/employee buyout of the assets of Chouinard Equipment from bankruptcy and they've been building great gear ever since - first in Ventura, California and since September, 1991 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Blue Water: American rope manufacturer.
Camp: Camp factories are located in a mountain village Premana in Italy at 1000 m a.s.l. It was founded in 1889 as an iron-forging workshop, and in 1920 Antonio Codega, the father of the present owners, started the production of mountain ice-axes. Since then, CAMP is designing, testing and producing all technical tools for mountaineering, and all products for trekking and adventure-sports.
Cassin: The company of famous mountaineer Riccardo Cassin situated in Valmadrera, Italy.
Charlet Moser: Quality ice and snow climbing equipment from France.
DMM: Stylish technical gear from Wales. DMM Engineering was founded in 1981 by a small dedicated team who have been involved in the design and manufacture of Mountaineering and associated safety equipment since 1966. Since those early days, DMM has expanded and developed dramatically. They now employ over 120 people. The factories and offices are situated on the banks of Llyn Padarn near the village of Llanberis in the heart of Snowdonia, Wales.
Edelrid: The company Edelmann + Ridder GmbH + Co. KG was founded in Isny im Allgäu in 1863. The braid and cord factory was run by the businessman Julius Edelmann and the engineer Carl Ridder. At that time production was already focused on technical weaves apart from common braids and cords. In 1880 the first braided fishing lines made of linen and silk were introduced at the international exhibition of fishing articles in Berlin. Complex developements in the line sector and the use of new synthetic threads that had been introduced on the market resulted in the production of the first mountaineering rope used in the early fifties. It was a Kernmantel construction which is still the basis of mountaineering ropes today. Besides the major products kernmantel ropes and harnesses, the product range has been steadily extended by mountaineering equipment such as slings, etriers, karabiners etc. The company Edelmann + Ridder is not only active in the fields mountaineering and leisure. The company's own product range includes several thousand articles.
Esprit Ropes
Faders: The history of the Spanish company Faders begins in the year 1958 with the manufacturing, in a small iron workshop, of metal climbing equipment for a group of friends who love nature. The brand Faders was introduced in 1973. International marketing began in 1974. Faders is specialised in manufacturing carabiners.
Fixe: By the begining of 1986, Jaume Aregall (Fixe manager at present) - a mould mechanic and active climber - began the production of some climbing anchors made of high steel and with a modern design aimed to satisfy the needs of a new way of climbing. By the end of 1990, FIXE was established as a quality company with just two employees, J. Aregall and his wife Imma. In 1993 the production center was expanded, they made important investment in new machinery and personel and the offer of products notably increased. By now FIXE is being available in four continents. The company is located in the small Catalan village of Sant Quirze de Besora, 80 km north of Barcelona (Spain) and at the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Grivel: Since 1818 Grivel manufacturers ice axes and crampons in Courmayer (Italy) at the foot of Mont Blanc. In response to demands of an uncreasing number of alpinists Grivel modified the common workman's pick-axe into an ice-axe. Thus, without a true inventor the "piolet" was born. During 1909 an English engineer named Oskar Eckennstein visited Courmayeur and submitted to Henry Grivel a design that would change history - the modern ten point crampon. In 1929 Laurent Grivel proposed the idea of a twelve point crampon with two horizontal projecting points; it was the technical key for ascending steeper routes in shorter time without time-consuming step-cutting.
HB: HB (Hugh Banner) Climbing Equipment is a company which specialises exclusively in the design and manufacture of climbing equipment. The company believes that climbing gear must be light in weight but also strong and reliable. The leader must have confidence in the strength of his equipment but must not sacrifice power to weight ratio. In order to keep control of the production process, HB carry out all the vital stages including forging and heat treatment in house and to ensure continued quality wit has fully certified test equipment including tensile testing, hardness testing and linear measurement. The Quality System is Registered to BS EN ISO 9002. 1994.
Kong: Kong s.p.a. commenced its production in 1981, it has a historical tradition which dates back to the centuries old ironworks around Lecco, on the Como Lake, Italy. Today Kong s.p.a., with its 70 employees, produces carabiners and metal articles for mountaineering, sailing and other uses throughout the world.
Lanex: Czech Lanex a.s. is one of the leading European producers of technical textiles. More than 800 employees of the plant at Bolatice and other two subsidiaries participate in the production and the operation of the company. The company was founded in 1949. After that the company has seen a lot of both organizational and proprietary changes. A significant change occurred in the beginning of the eighties, when the traditional ropemaking trade was completed with progressive production of flexible intermediate bulk containers and ropes for sports. Being aware of the necessity of maintenance and increase of total quality, the company aimed at introduction of the quality management and control system according to ISO 9001. The relevant certificate was granted in 1997.
Leki: German hiking poles.
Mammut: In the year 1862 Kaspar Tanner lay the first building blocks of the enterprise with the foundation of the craftmans ropery in Dintikon, near Lenzburg, Switzerland. Belongs to Arova-Mammut-Toko-Group. Today 60% of the sales are obtained from the home market and 40% from the export.
Metolius: Oregon, USA.
Misty Mountain: Misty Mountain Threadworks, Banner Elk, NC, USA, produces Harnesses, slings and aid gear.
New England Ropes: For 30 years, New England Ropes, Inc. has been a manufacturer of premium quality rope for climbing, marine, industrial and safety & rescue uses.
Omega Pacific: Omega Pacific, Inc. was conceived in the state of Washington in 1983 with the goal of becoming the predominant and most cost effective carabiner manufacturer in the world by focusing on design, engineering and the manufacture of a single product-carabiners, which are utilized in climbing, fire, rescue and industrial markets.
Petzl: Petzl, Crolles, France, produces high quality climbing harnesses and hardware as well as headlamps etc. The site also includes some information of using their products in the right way.
Pika Mountaineering
PMI: Pigeon Mountain Industries, Lafayette, GA , USA, produces ropes for climbing, work & rescue.
Roca: Spanish rope manufacturer, that has come a long way in a 100 years. From 1891 when Joan Roca began to manufacture plaited hemp rope to today’s dynamic ropes made of polyamide.
Rock Empire
Simond: The Simond brothers, were smiths and manufactured tools for agriculture. With the discovery of Chamonix by the English, they produced their first ice axes. In 1 860, François Simond decided to dedicate his activity to the conception and realization of mountaineering equipment. Today, Simond is still a family business. The factory is always located in the Chamonix Valley, France.
Singing Rock: Back in old days the possibilities of finding decent climbing gear in Czechoslovakia were next to none. Some resourceful and inventive people started to produce copies of imported gear at home using the basic materials available. Two such people, Vlada and Pavel, came together in 1991, embarking together to produce harnesses and backpacks on a slightly different level. They wanted to do it properly. In 1992 Vlada travelled to the ISPO trade fair in Munich. Here he met up with a Belgium guy named Jan. Jan had already 7 years experience in the Outdoor market in sales and was interested in working together with Vlada and Pavel. So Singing Rock was born. Since December 2000 Singing Rock has had quality management system certified according to requirements of ISO 9001 by authorized certifiing body TÜV Munchen.
SMC: Seatle Manufacturing Corporation. For over thirty years SMC has engineered and manufactured reliable climbing and rescue equipment. Carabiners, axes, crampons, pulleys, descenders and more. SMC was founded in 1967 to bring aircraft industry standards of quality to the design and manufacture of mountain climbing equipment. Their motto is: Trusted, not trendy. Quality gear for life.
Stanley Outdoor Products: Stanley Outdoor Products, LLC (S.O.P.) is a small company devoted to providing outdoor products without compromise.
Sterling Rope
Stubai: Climbing equipment from Austrian Stubaital for 100 years. All products are manufactured in factories certified according to ISO 9001 and are tested according to the highest quality standards.
Titan Mountain Sports: Titanium camping equipment, ice axes, cookware and tent stakes – to lighten your load. Titan Mountain Sports is a division of Simon Metals.
Trango: Climbing gear company named after famous Trango Tower in Karakoram, Pakistan.
Troll: Troll climbing equipment is designed and manufactured by climbers for climbers and includes climbing harnesses, karabiners, slings, accessories and clothing. Troll is situated in an old woollen mill in the small village of Uppermill, Saddleworth, Troll home since 1973.
USHBA: Climbing gear. Also includes facts about titanium.
Wild Country: English Wild Country manufactures and distributes specialist, technical rock climbing and mountaineering equipment including Friends, Rocks, Rope Management Tools and Harnesses.
Wild Things: Since 1981 Wild Things has been making lightweight climbing equipment and clothing for expedition, Alpine, Ice and Rock climbers. Their "Light is Right" philosophy is now the gospel for modern climbers. Manufacturing takes place in United States and is done in "alpine style"; keeping the quantities small allows continous improvements. Wild Things gear is targeted at those climbers, who believe that simpler is better and light is right.
Wired Bliss LLC: Wired Bliss pioneered the three cam unit. In 1984 Steve Byrne developed the product and introduced two unique designs into the climbing arena. The first was a camming device utilizing only three cams. This allowed for narrower placements and noticeable weight reduction. The second was the flexible body which, along with the smaller number of cams, produced light and versatile camming device. Current design, which is similar to the original, has undergone some changes in the way it is manufactured and assembled.
Wren Industries: Makers of Silent Partner, Soloist and Solo Aid.
Yates